The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Taste the sweet life in Perthshire
AFTER years of happy holidays in Scotland, Vaughn Roberts and Anne Willis decided to move their whole lives north of the border. “We’d been coming north for many years and when our children grew up and moved out, we realised – we can live here,” smiles Vaughn.
“We wanted to live somewhere beautiful. I don’t think we could have found anywhere more beautiful than here.”
Here is Perthshire – specifically, East Tulchan Farmhouse near Glenalmond, on the edge of the Highlands, surrounded by farmland and glorious views to the hills.
“The house is north-facing, so we have wonderful, constantly-changing views,” adds Vaughn. “Today, there is a little snow on the hills.
“Northern light is special. The house is very well-lit, with spacious, bright rooms. It is not a gloomy house at all.”
The pretty property dates from the mid1800s, and forms the centrepiece of an attractive development of houses around a steading which once belonged to East Tulchan Farm.
It is an unusual setting – surrounded by countryside, with all the charm and peacefulness of a rural idyll, it comes with a mini-community of friendly neighbours, as Vaughn explains.
“It’s lovely, everyone has been very supportive and kind to us, which meant a lot as we were moving to a new place, in a new country and we knew no one,” he says.
“I go cycling with one of the neighbours – this is an excellent place for cyclists – and others look after our bees and our chickens when we are on holiday. No one is in each other’s pockets, but we all look out for each other.”
The bees, says Vaughn, are ‘Scottish bees’ so may not move with the couple, who are leaving East Tulchan after 15 years to be closer to their nine grandchildren.
“We are not sure how the bees would cope with actual heat,” he jokes.
The house is charming and traditional, with many original features such as fireplaces and panelling remaining. Stylish furnishings and attractive colours show off the spacious rooms to great effect. A study and a double bedroom sit at the front of the house, both with fireplaces and views to the hills. Vaughn particularly enjoys spending time in the study, a cosy room with an open fire, traditional bookcases and his piano.
“This is my room, but the place we both love the most is the living room,” he adds. “You can sit here and look out across the paddock to the hills beyond.” This room, framed in Douglas fir with timber flooring, has picture windows and a wood stove.
The dining room, which also has a stove, connects to the fantastic dining kitchen. An additional single bedroom, which could equally become an office or study, lies behind the utility room. The ground floor also includes a spacious bathroom, complete with bath and walk-in shower. There are two beautiful double bedrooms and a WC on the first floor.
The gardens at East Tulchan include an ornamental pond enclosed by neat hedging and a picket fence, and Vaughn and Anne have transformed the paddock, which is surrounded by hedging and a small wood of rowan, lime, alder, hazel and oak trees, by planting their own fruit and nut tree orchard.
This is home to the bees, and the couple’s favourite chickens (one is now eight years old) and productive vegetable garden.
“We had no idea how to look after bees or
chickens before we came here but we have enjoyed learning,” smiles Vaughn.
Perth and Crieff are both within 12 miles of East Tulchan, so fantastic shops, leisure facilities and plenty of independent shops, cafés and restaurants are all on the doorstep, and Edinburgh and Dundee are within easy commuting distance.
Gleneagles Hotel and golf courses are about 14 miles away and there are courses at Perth, Crieff, Muthill and Comrie. The house is ideal for the outdoors enthusiast with fishing, shooting, stalking, hillwalking and cycling all popular in the surrounding countryside. “The location of the house is great,” agrees Vaughn. “We wanted somewhere rural but accessible for work – I got a job at the university in Dundee and Anne was a general manager for Marie Curie in Edinburgh. It was a big change for us, coming from busy Birmingham, but we both had demanding jobs and needed to live somewhere quiet and peaceful.
“We looked all over before we found this place. I think we were incredibly lucky – it has been perfect for us.”